Before Orson Welles created his own radio series, he frequently performed on the radio in series such as The March of Time and The Shadow. He used his income from radio to support the theater company he founded with John Houseman, the Mercury Theatre. The Mercury Theatre made a big impression in 1938, and Time magazine featured Welles on its cover on May 9, 1938. Taking advantage of Welles’s new celebrity, CBS offered Welles total creative control for a short radio series. First Person Singular ran for nine episodes, from July 11 to September 5, 1938 before contining under the title The Mercury Theatre on the Air through December of 1938, when the War of the Worlds infamy earned them a sponsorship from Campbell's Soup and it became The Campbell Playhouse.

Frequent collaborators included composer/conductor Bernard Herrmann and actors Agnes Moorehead, Joseph Cotten, Arthur Anderson, Dan Seymour, George Coulouris, Ray Collins, Karl Swenson, Eustace Wyatt, Edgar Barrier, Bud Collyer and Frank Readick.

38-07-11 Dracula

Adaptation of Bram Stoker's 1897 novel "Dracula.“ The first show of the series, which is also known as "First Person, Singular."

38-07-18 Treasure Island

Adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's novel "Treasure Island.” An excellent adaptation of the classic adventure tale.

38-07-25 A Tale of Two Cities

Adaptation of Charles Dickens' 1859 novel "A Tale of Two Cities.” Orson Welles subsequently played the same role on The Lux Radio Theatre broadcast of March 26, 1945

38-08-01 The 39 Steps

Adaptation of John Buchan's 1915 novel "The Thirty-Nine Steps"

38-08-08 Three Short Stories: I’m a Fool | The Open Window | My Little Boy 

Adaptation of works by Sherwood Anderson, Saki, Carl Ewald. Three short stories dramatized. "I'm A Fool," a story of love at an Ohio County Fair, "The Open Window" by Saki, and "My Little Boy," a moving story of childhood and parenthood.

38-08-15 Abraham Lincoln

Adaptation of John Drinkwater's 1918 play "Abraham Lincoln.” A portrait of Lincoln during the war years. 

38-08-22 The Affairs of Anatol

Adaptation of Arthur Schnitzler's 1910 play "Anatol.” The episodic adventures of a delightful roue in old Vienna, before the first world war. Told with few sound effects and music cues, but those used most effectively. 

38-08-29 The Count of Monte Cristo

Adaptation of Alexandre Dumas' novel "The Count of Monte Cristo.” The favorite story about a young lad who enters a dungeon, and years later emerges as the fabulously wealthy Count.

38-09-05 The Man Who Was Thursday

Adaptation of G.K. Chesterton's 1908 novel "The Man Who Was Thursday.” A most confusing and wonderful show and story. Exciting, dramatic, puzzling, a second hearing is wanted immediately.

38-09-11 Julius Caesar (Rehearsal)

Adaptation of William Shakespeare's play "Julius Caesar.” The original Broadway cast of this superb "modern dress" production. The "Et Tu Brute" scene is not included, the play seems otherwise complete. 

38-09-25 The Immortal Sherlock Holmes

Adaptation of William Gilette's stage version of Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories. Holmes vs. Moriarty once again. With news bulletins of the European war crisis. 

38-10-09 Hell on Ice

Adaptation of Edward Ellsberg's "Hell On Ice." Adapted by Howard Koch. A gripping dramatization of the true story of a 19th-century expedition to the North Pole, and its terrible fate. 

38-10-16 Seventeen

Adaptation of Booth Tarkington's 1916 novel "Seventeen". Adapted by Howard Koch. An adaptation of the bittersweet period piece about a young boy in young America, and the growing pains of youth.

38-10-23 Around the World in 80 Days

Adaptation of Jules Verne's 1873 novel "Around the World in Eighty Days". Adapted by Howard Koch. An original adaption by Orson Welles of the story of Phileas Fogg, the eternally punctual Englishman.

38-10-30 War of the Worlds

Adaptation of H.G. Welles 1898 novel "The War of the Worlds". Adapted by Howard Koch. The most famous radio show of all time. Mars invades New Jersey.

38-11-06 Heart of Darkness | Life with Father

Adaptation of works by Joseph Conrad, Clarence Day. Adapted by Howard Koch. An exciting adventure of danger and madness in the Belgian Congo. "Life with Father" is a series of well-done vignettes from the famous novel.

38-11-13 Passenger to Bali

Adaptation of Ellis St. Joseph's "A Passenger to Bali". Adapted by Howard Koch. A good story about an evil "man without a country" who boards a freighter and then can't get off! An excellent performance by Orson as "The Flying Dutchman."

38-11-20 The Pickwick Papers

Howard Koch adaptation of Charles Dickens' novel. A chronicle of the Pickwick Club and the many legal problems of Mr. Pickwick.

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